Display and retainer device



March 7, 1939. NOEL DISPLAY AND RETAINER DEVICE Filed June 10, 1937ATTORNEYJ.

Patented Mar. 7, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2 Claims.

This invention relates to a display device, displaying a plurality oflike articles for display or operatiVe purposes.

The chief object of the invention is to provide a display support for aplurality of articles and to retain the same thereon during the usefullife of the articles.

Another object of the invention is to provide a suitable support for anintermediate portion of the display device. 7

Another object of the invention is to provide a rail support arrangementfor retaining certain of the articles in non-exposed or non-workingposition.

Another object of the invention is to provide a support for a differentarticle, the same being arranged for operative association with any oneof the other like articles, which support serves as a reenforcement fora portion of the display device.

The chief feature of the invention consists in the formation of a deviceembodying the several parts whereby the aforesaid objects areaccomplished. I

Other objects and features will be set forth more fully hereinafter.

The full nature of the invention will be understood from theaccompanying drawing and the following description and claims:

In the drawing, Fig. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of thedevice with articles thereon.

Fig. 2 is a top plan View of the main portion of the device.

Fig. 3 is a side elevational View of the invention-shown in Fig. 1, thearticles being omitted from Figs. 2 and 3.

In the drawing 10 indicates a forward support having at its lower end aninwardly directed, inturned, lateral flange ll. l2 indicates a rear-Ward support portion having an inwardly directed flange l3 at its lowerend.

The intermediate portion includes two divisions, portions l5 and [6, thetwo being separated from each other by a rail structure I! that extendsupwardly therefrom and is substantially U-shaped in cross section toform a nesting groove or channel [8, which is downwardly directed. Thetwo portions l5 and iii are oifset angularly of each other in thepreferred form of the invention. In other words, portion l 5 is butslightly inclined to the horizontal while portion l6 has a greaterinclination thereto. 7

The rail i! has an aperture 19 extending therethrough and seated in saidaperture is a loop or ring 20 having a hinge portion 20a andcomplementary interfitting ends 2017.

Nested in the U-shaped seat I8 is the flange 2| of an intermediatesupport 22 having a laterally directed flange 23 at its lower end. Eachof the flanges H, I 3 and 23 are preferably provided with suitablesurface contacting members, such as the rubber heads 24, provided withstem portions 25 which are wedgingly seated in the apertures 26 in theseveral lower flanges mentioned.

Extending rearwardly from the rear support [2 are aligned socket members21, there being two of said members in alignment and with each pairhaving an alignment parallel to that of another pair. As shown clearlyin Fig. 2, the socket portions 21 are substantially triangular and areoffset from the plane of the rear support l2. A pair of substantiallytriangular or channel shaped members 28 having inturned edges 28a areseatable in the aligned pairs of sockets 21 and the upper ends aresecured to a base plate 29 having a lower groove forming flange 30 andtwo inwardly directed side forming flanges 3|. There is no flangeprovided at the top of member 29 so that a display card or the like 32longer than member 29 may be readily mounted upon the plate 29 andretained thereon.

Each of the articles associated with the intermediate portion of thedisplay device includes, for example, a stiif sheet 33 provided with ametallic eyelet 34 providing an opening 34a adapted to receive the loop20. A suitable number of said articles 33 may be so mounted on theintermediate portion of the device and it will be apparentsee Fig.l-that a certain article will be exposed on the lower portion 15 of theintermediate portion of the display device, while others will besupported in non-displayed or nonworking position rearwardly andthereabove, and are prevented from interfering with the beforementionedarticle by reason of engagement of the last mentioned articles with therail I1.

In the present disclosure, the article 33 may broadly be that of astructure such as shown in' the William Wright Patent No. 1,867,432,dated July 12, 1932, and associated therewith is the article 32 whichcontains certain indicia, legending or other characters or means 32a,with which the portions 33a of article 33 may be associated. The masterdisplay card 32 thus is adapted to cooperate in the playing of any gamewherein a plurality of individual playing cards or articles 33 areutilized, each of which has certain divisions, such as indicated at 33a.

Another use of the invention consists in the provision of certainbookkeeping sheets, stock records or the like, each of which may bearcertain classification data, this being the article indicated by thenumeral 33 and associated therewith may be utilized a rate sheet such asindicated broadly by numeral 32 in Fig. 1, which rate sheet may bear anydesired classification information, such as mileage distances to be usedin connection with individual accounts, each of which would beassociated with one of the articles 33, or a price classification, whichwould be common to all ofthe individual articles 33. If the device beused for stock record purposes, it will be readily apparent that a partstock card may be exposed on the portion I5 and the superposed stockcards will be retained by the portion l6 and the rail 11; It is believedno further description of the various types of articles with which thedevice may be em-,

ployed is necessary for an understanding of the construction, utilityand operation of the device, the subject matter of this application.

The form of the device is such that it readily lends itself forproduction from relatively thin sheet metal and by reason of itsconstruction, as illustrated, the use of relatively thin sheet metal isnot objectionable, since suflicient support and rigidity is incorporatedin the device by reason of the formation of the same, as specificallyillustrated herein, and more especially by the reenforcement of the rearsupport I2 by reason of the U-shaped arrangement 28, 29, 30 which isdetachably associated therewith and which has its upper portion formedto serve as a support for another article having a cooperativerelationship with the similar articles secured to the device by thesplit ring 20.

While the invention has been illustrated and described in great detailin the accompanying drawing-and foregoing description, the same is to beconsidered as illustrative and not restricted in character.

Various embodiments of the invention have been devised and there hasbeen herein illustrated and described the preferred form of the same.The various modifications, such as has been hereinbefore mentioned, aswell as others which will suggest themselves to persons skilled in thisart, including such embodiments which have not been illustrated anddescribed herein, all are considered to be within the broad scope of theinvention, reference being had to the appended claims.

The invention claimed is:

1. In a display device, front support structure, an upright rear supportstructure, and intermediate means therebetween and supported thereby'andhaving a forward support portion and the rearward support portion forsupporting articles in'either of two positions, and arranged atprogressively increasing angles to the horizontal and with an upstandingrail at the vertex, and article retaining means secured to the rail andpermitting movement of an article from one side of the rail to the otherside thereof.

2. A device as defined by claim 1, characterized by the rail beingU-shaped in transverse section and by the addition of an intermediatedepending support nested therein and projecting downwardly therefrom.

GUY E. NOEL.

